ZTE Blade III reaches the UK through Virgin Media

The ZTE Blade III has been slowly spreading its cost-conscious influence across Europe since the fall, yet it curiously danced around the UK. That elusiveness is over now that Virgin Media has picked up the entry-level Android 4.0 phone for itself. It's a match for mainland Europe's version with a 4-inch WVGA screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon, a 5-megapixel camera, 3G data and 4GB of built-in storage with a microSD slot for more. Virgin is mostly counting on pricing to make the difference: the Blade III costs just £80 to buy outright for pay-as-you-go service, and it's free for customers who pay as little as £18 per month (£13 for Virgin loyalists) on a contract. If you don't mind the irony of a Blade phone that isn't especially cutting-edge, it's a tempting deal.